Fiber cutting machine



April 11, 1939. F. R. ZIMMERMAN FIBER CUTTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l April ll, 1939.-. F ZIMMERMAN 2,154,256

FIBER CUTTING* MACHINE Filed Aug. 9, 1937 shee'Ls-sheet .2

Patented Apr, 1I, 1939 N UNITED ySTATES PM'IJN'IA OFFICE ApplicationAugust 9', 1937,.Serial No. v158,041

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to machines for cutting long fiber into substantially predetermined lengths to fit them for incorporation into upholstery batts. l

The main object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which will cut long fibers simultaneously into a number of separate pieces each of substantially predetermined length and thereafter delivering the same upon a conveyor belt for distribution to a conventional machine known as a picker which picks the relatively compact masses of the fiber apart and delivers the same to other machinery commonly employed in the production of upholstery batts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type indicated which is poweractuated and is so constructed and arranged .that the operator who feeds the fiber into the machine cannot bring his hands or fingers into contact with the cutting elements and wherein an attempt by the operator so to do will actuate means whereby the operation of the machine is interrupted.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is a front elevation. partly in vertical section, of a fiber cutting machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

-The fibers used for some classes of upholstery batts are composed of sisal, jute or similar fibers, or a mixture of several thereof, which are used ordinarily in the manufacture of rope, twine, burlap and similar products. These fibers are baled and have an average length of several feet each. In the bales the fibers extend in one general direction so that upon removing the bale .ties the bale may be easily divided into slabs of any desired thickness and are of the Width and length of the bale. The upholstery batts composed of this type of fiber are made byl means of carding machines and camel back lappers and the long fibers have a, tendency to wind themselves about the drum of the carding machine, whichis commonly known as a Garnet machine in the art. The -long fibers' are also ill adapted for the action of the camel back lappers and, therefore, it is desirable that said fibers be cut to lengths ranging from a minimum of about nine inches to a maximum of about twelve inches, depending upon .the particular type of fiber employed, an appreciable percentage .of shorter' fibers by the action of the aforesaid pickers and penumatic conveying means which carry thecut fiber from the picker to the carding machines from which they are delivered to thesaid camel i back lappers.

The cutting of the fibers has been effected in various ways as, for example, by means of bandlmives and by shears which simulate paper cuttingshears, .both of which have proved very dan- ,motor suitably geared to the shaft 4 to rotate the same at any desired predetermined speed. In the instance illustrated the gearing consists of Kpulleys `and belt 8 trained over the same but it will be understood that any other desired type of gearing may be substituted for said pulleys and belt.`

Mounted upon the `shaft l is a cylindrical drum 9 which is equipped with surface projections wand, as shown in Fig. 1, is also equipped ,at regular intervals with annular slots or recesses II which are spaced substantially equidistantly from each other and the outermost of which are spaced farther from the ends of the drum than the spacing of said slots from each other.

Disposed at an incline above the forward halfportion of the drum 9 is a feed table I2 upon which an operator deposits the bale slabs of flber heretofore referred to and pushes them toward the drum, the said feed table or plate I2 being disposed substantially tangential to -the uppermost point in said drum. The front edge of the plate or table I2 is disposed at an elevation substantially equal to the height of the chest of the operator.

' 46 Mounted upon the rear end portion of the frame I is a pair of frame members I3 upon which an electric motor I4 is mounted. Said frame members I3 are equipped with bearings for the shaft I5 which is suitably geared to the motor I4 and 'is parallel with the shaft 4 but disposed at a higher elevation and spaced appreciably rearwardly thereof. Mounted upon the shaft I5 is a plurality of circular cutting knives I6 which project in part into the annular recesses or slots II of the drum 9v and which rotate in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the said drum 9 and at far higher speed. v

Pivotally mounted in brackets I'I carried by thevfrvont edge portion of the plate or table I2 .is a shaft Il. A plurality of bell crank levers I8 are rigidly Imounted upon the shaft I8 at their elbow portions3 and are rigidly connected with each other b`y means of cross-rod 2li extending over the entire width of the plate or table I2. Said rod 20 is disposed in the path of the chest of the operator so that if the latter leans against said rods, it will rotate the bell-crank levers about the pivotal axis of 'the shaft I8. The inner and shorter arms 2l of the bell crank levers I9 normally maintain an electric switch 22 mounted upon the lower face of the plate or table I2 in position to close the electric circuits feeding the respective motors 1 and I4 so that in the event that said bell-crank levers are swung about their l pivotal axis, as aforesaid, the said electric circuits are opened immediately and the operation ofthe machine is thus interrupted.

A guard plate 23 is disposed over and in spaced relation to the drum 9 at a point immediately forward ofthecutting edges of the knives I6 and servesprimarily to. indicate the limit of thickness of the bale slabs which may be introduced into the machine and in the event that a bale slab is of too great thickness will halt the same and prevent it being fed to the said knives It, except as to such quantity of said ber as may be pulled from the bottom of the slab by meansvof the projections Ill of the drum, the slab being then gradually decreased in thickness so that it will pass progressively under said guard plate 23. v

Ihe slab of the bale of fibers is disposed upon the table or plate I2 so that the fibers extend substantially transversely of the direction o f travel of the slab into and through the machine. After deposit upon said plate the operator pushes the slab forward so that it will be caught by the drumand will then be fed to the said knives I6. It will be observed that the edges of the cutting knives I6 meet the periphery of the drum at an acute angle and that both the drum andthe knives tend to projectthe cut fiber downwardly so as to clear the drum of the same. After being cut the'ibers fall by gravity upon the conveyor belt 2t which carries the cut iibers to the aforesaid picker.

Additionally to the means heretofore described for preventing the operator from bringing his fln- .gers into contact with the cutting knives I6, the machine will be equipped with high side plates, omitted from illustration herein, for preventing operators access to the knives from the sides of the machine. l

The rear plate 25 of the machine is removable for the purpose of providing access to the cutting edges of the knives I6 for sharpening said knives when 'desired and to this end said plate 25 is hinged to the cross rod 26 joining the side frame members I3 at their upper rear corners. The plate 23 is similarly pivotally engaged with the cross rod 2'I connecting the upper from corners of the members Iii with each other.

The machine of the present invention operates to cut 'fibers more rapidly than has been true of the machinesused heretofore and is desirable from the standpoint of safety as well as economy of operation.

lll By means of the screw engaged with the bearings oi the shaft 4, the position of the drum l relatively to the cutting knives may 'be adjusted to vary the angular relation of the cutting edges of the said knives to the circumference of the drum for purposes of promoting the eillciencyof action and to prevent heating of the knives in event the fiber slabs are fed too rapidly and compactly to said knives` especially when said knives become slightly dull.

In the instance illustrated the drum 9 is composed of sections of desired width which are interchangeable forsections of other widths, the knivesbeing adjustable on the shaft I5 to position them to accord with the spacing apart of the slots between the sections of said drum 9.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine of the type specied comprising a series of parallel spaced apart rotatable cutting blades, a rotatable feed drum equipped with annular slots of width appreciably greater than the thickness of the blades and into each of which a cutting edge portion of a blade projects free of contact with the walls thereof, said drum and blades beingrotatable in opposite directions and cooperating to effect downward travel of material subjected to their action, means for adjusting the relative positions of said drum and said' blades, la feed table having its inner edge overhanging the uppermost portion of said drum and-opposed to said blades, a gauge device disposed over and spaced from the rear edge portion of the table for controlling the thickness of the batch of material vcapable of being fed to the blades, the radius of the latter being appreciably greater than the said thickness of the batch as determined by said device for preventing contact of said material with any sur- `faces other than side faces of the blades and the circumferential face of the drum during its passage through the cutting zone said drum being equipped with a plurality of surface projections for removing material from the lower part of the batch while the same is retarded by said gauge device to thin the batch until it can be fed further over the feed table, the rear edge of said table spaced more than an arms length from said blades and power means for actuating the said blades and said drum.

2. A machine of the type specified comprising a rotatable drum composed of spaced apart sections, rotatable cutting knives projecting into the spaces between said drum sections. means for causing the said knives and the drum torotate in opposite direction for cooperation with each other to cut material and cause downward passage thereof, lugs on the circumferential fac of the drum sections to effect lforced movement of material toward the blade edges, a feed table over which the material is passed into engaging relation to said drum, a gauge device disposed over and spaced from said table for regulating the thickness of the batch of' material capable of being fed to the drum and cut by said blades, said lugs adapted to remove material from the bottom of a batch halted ori retarded by said gauge device for reducing the depth of the latter to thedegree requisite to effect passage of the remainder of the batch past the said gauge device.

FRED R. ZIVMMERMAN. 

